


The Other Brothers

by ginnekomiko



Series: Maiden of the Moon Universe [4]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-25 05:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10757349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: The comedy Prequel/ Midquel to "Little Moon Eyes"/ "Maiden of the Moon" as seen by Ginta and Hakaku.Originally posted from 2011-2013.





	1. How it All Began

Ginta and Hakaku sat very still.

“You’re kidding, aren’t you, Kouga?” Hakaku said.

“No, I’m not.”

“But, won’t the other adults object to you taking in an abandoned kid just like that?” Ginta asked.

“We take in kids and young adults in all the time; what’s so wrong with a baby?” Kouga countered.

“A lot,” they countered.

“It’s drooling,” Hakaku said.

“It’s noisy,” Ginta remarked.

“It smells,” Hakaku said.

“Besides, we’re only kids, how are we going to manage looking after something even smaller than us?” Ginta asked.

“We’ll manage,” Kouga said. “Besides, I already got my grandpa convinced. He’ll help us out.”

“We?” they repeated.

“I’m going to need some help with this, obviously,” Kouga said.

“No way!”

 Ginta paused. “Hey, Kouga, how come this kid has your Mama’s eye color?”

“I bet he did this because his Mama disappeared awhile ago and he still hasn’t gotten over it like he’s supposed to,” Hakaku muttered.

Kouga tackled Hakaku.

Ginta picked up the grey-eyed baby that was wrapped in a brown fur blanket.

“Um, Kouga?  This is a girl baby. And um, can you stop beating up Hakaku? Please?”

“I know that’s a girl,” Kouga said.

“But girls are bad luck!” Hakaku exclaimed. “They curse you and make you act all weird!”

 “I don’t know, she seems harmless,” Ginta said. “Aww, she’s all soft and squeezable!”

“Eee~!” said the baby.

“See what I mean? She’s got Ginta acting like loon already!” Hakaku exclaimed. “Ow! Kouga, why’d you hit me again?”

“Because you’re loud. Listen, I know girls are bad luck; that’s why we’re going to pretend she’s a boy.”

“Hey, good idea, Kouga!” Ginta said.

“We’re going to get caught,” Hakaku remarked.

“As long as we’re careful and nobody tattles, we won’t get caught. So are you in, or aren’t you?”

 “I’ll help!” Ginta said.

The two boys looked at Hakaku.

Hakaku looked back at them, then at the baby.

“I guess she is kind of cute…”

“It’s settled then,” Kouga said.

“Just like that?” Hakaku exclaimed.

“So um, what’s his name?” Ginta asked.

“Tsuki. If anyone asks, it’s short for Tsukimaru,” Kouga said.

“Sure, shorten a boy’s name to a girl’s name. This is so going to blow up in our face,” Hakaku muttered.

 


	2. Bathing the Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakaku tries to give the baby a bath.

“Stupid Kouga,” Hakaku muttered.

“It’s not his fault the leader called him and old man Robai away,” Ginta said.

“He did this on purpose. He knew we were due to give Tsuki a bath and decided to skip out on us.” Hakaku sighed. “Let’s just dunk the kid in the river and go back into the den.”

“Wait, remember what Kouga said! Shallow water only!” Ginta said.

“You forgot the ‘or else’ he added at the end,” Hakaku said as he sloshed around in the river. “It’s freezing in here! Stupid  Tsuki! Stupid loss at a stupid game! Stupid hygiene!”

“Here you go, Hakaku,” Ginta said as he handed her over. “I’ll go and keep watch.”

“Why am I always the one getting stuck with you whenever things get difficult?” Hakaku asked the baby.

In response, Tsuki grinned at him.

It was said girls could steal a man's soul with a smile.

“Don’t give me that look!” he exclaimed.

Shallow water, huh? It wasn’t like it would make a difference.

 When he tried to place her down into the water, the smile vanished from her face. She looked panicked.

“Un!” she protested.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Hakaku asked. “Get in the water!”

“Eeek~!”

Without warning, she hugged herself to his face and would not let go.

“GAHH!” Hakaku cried. “Ginta! Help me! She’s going to steal my soul!”

Ginta looked over to see his friend running around wildly with a terrified toddler on his head.

Suddenly, he was very glad Kouga was gone.


	3. No, the Baby is Not Going to Explode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby catches a cold. Panic ensues.

“Kishhu,” said the baby.

“What was that?” Hakaku asked.

“I think it was a sneeze,” Ginta said. “Do you think he has a cold?”

“Kishhu,” the baby repeated.

“Nah, it’s summer; you can’t get colds in summer,” Hakaku said.

“What then? Was the river too cold?” Ginta asked.

“Maybe it’s a dust monster?”

“I’m not fighting any dust monsters!”

“Ginta’s a coward!”

“I am not,” Ginta exclaimed.

“Kishhu, Kishhu, Kishhu,” said the baby.

“Maybe he’s going to explode?” Hakaku remarked.

“Can babies explode?” Ginta asked. “Here! You can have him!”

“Gah! If he’s going to explode I don’t want him!” Hakaku said.

The two of them proceeded to play hot-potato with the sneezing baby.

“What the heck are you doing to Tsuki?” Kouga demanded.

“If he was going to explode, I didn’t want him to do it on me!” Ginta said,

“Babies can’t explode just be sneezing!” Kouga said. “Look, you made him cry!”

Tsuki clung to Kouga.

“Kishhu… hic- hic,”

“Still, maybe we should take him out of the dusty cave. Did you ever think of that?” Kouga asked.

“Did he say ‘we’ just now?” Hakaku asked.

“Great, he’s mad at us,” Ginta muttered.

“I’m not going out there!” Hakaku said.

“Fine. _You_ can stay in here with the dust monster,”

“W-Wait up, Ginta~!”


	4. The Clingy Phase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby refuses to let go of Ginta.

“Here Ginta, do you want to take a break from holding him for awhile?” Hakaku asked.

“Okay, thanks, Hakaku.”

“Un!” said the baby.

“Um, this is weird. He’s not letting go of me,” Ginta said. “Hakaku, a little help here?”

“Let. Go. Of. Ginta~!” Hakaku said as he tried to pull the smaller child off of his friend.

“Un~!”

It ended with everyone falling backwards.

 “Maybe we should get a stick and pry him off of you. That kid’s got a grip!”

Tsuki glared at Hakaku.

“Am I being glared at by a baby?” he asked.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind carrying him around for a little longer,” Ginta said. “Just let me sit down for a bit, okay?”

“Don’t tell me you actually _like_ him?” Hakaku said.

“Oh, you don’t?” Ginta asked.

“It’s not that I hate him, but Kouga was the one to find him, why do we have to look after him all the time?” Hakaku asked.

“It’s only when Kouga goes with Grandpa, Hakaku. It’s not _that_ often. Besides, I think Tsuki’s kind of sweet. I wouldn’t mind if things stayed like this.”

“You want to have that thing stuck to you forever?” Hakaku asked.  “You’re so weird. Wouldn’t your arms get tired?”

“Not that! Just… it’s nice to feel loved and needed, you know? The three of us met because we’d all lost our parents, so it’s nice to feel important to someone again.”

“You’re just saying that because he likes you best right now,” Hakaku muttered.

“Don’t tell me you don’t feel the same when he grabs on to you; it’s like you’re the only one in the world who can comfort him from the bad stuff. I _saw_ you go after that lizard that scared him the other day.”

“I-I didn’t do anything of the sort!” Hakaku exclaimed.

“It’s not nice to lie, Hakaku,” Ginta remarked.


	5. Little Red... What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginta tells Tsuki a story. And thus begins Ginta and Hakaku's adventures into the terrible twos.

“Ginta, Hakaku, story.”

 “Well what kind of story do you want, Tsuki?” Ginta asked.

“I want a good story. No princesses this time!”

“Hmm, a good story that lacks princesses...”

“What about an ogre tale, Tsuki?” Hakaku asked.

“Too scary!” he cried.

“Yeah, remember how your last story gave him nightmares?” Ginta said.

“How could I forget? Kouga all but chased me down when he found out the reason why Tsuki kept clinging to him all night long.”

“I got one!” Ginta said. “This is the story of Little Red Wolf. In a clan far, far, to the west, there lived a little wolf-demon girl with white fur and red hair. She had been sent by her parents to go and visit her Grandpa in the northern clan. This girl was a good girl, so she obeyed her parents’ wishes and set out on the long journey to her Grandpa’s den, but along the way, she hit a snag.”

“What? What?” Tsuki asked.

“Little Red Wolf ran into a human.”

“Yuck!”

“He said, ‘Little Red, Little Red, where do you head?’

But the girl was a clever sort. She saw that the man had a knife in his hand she had this to retort.

‘Son of man, son of man, I see that silver knife in your hand. You do not want me, for I’m small and skinny. My fur would fetch such a small price. I know a place where some golden foxes base; their fur would be very nice.’

So she lead the man to a small river where indeed the golden foxes swam, but what the man did not know was that the golden foxes fur glows like the sun when it’s mad. And so this man, he went and ran right on home to his hut, for he had learned if you mess with Little Red, you’re going to get burned in the butt. The end.”

“You got bored and made that ending up,” Hakaku remarked. “She didn’t even get to Grandpa’s den.”

“Well if you’re so smart, why don’t you tell him what happens next, Hakaku?”

“I would, but he’s sleeping. Your story bored him so much he deiced to take a nap instead.”

“Why can’t we ever win with this kid?” Ginta muttered.


	6. The Ice Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginta and Hakaku have to rescue Tsuki from the dangers of a rock.

“Hey, Hakaku, where’s Tsuki?” Ginta asked. He shook the freshly fallen snow out of his fur.

“Wasn’t he with you, Ginta?”

“No. It was your turn to watch him, remember?”

“Uh-oh. I haven’t seen him for awhile.”

“Don’t tell me he ran off into the snow all by himself?” Ginta exclaimed. “He’ll freeze if he’s out too long!”

“Good luck, Ginta!” Hakaku called.

“Oh no you don’t! I’m not getting blamed for your mistake, Hakaku!” Ginta said as he dragged Hakaku out of the den.

“Tsuki! Come out, come out wherever you are!” Ginta called.

“Or else!” Hakaku added.

“Inna. Aau.”

“You hear that?” Ginta said.

“Ginta, I found him. You’re not going to like this,” Hakaku said. “He got his tongue stuck to a rock.”

Ginta smacked his head with his hand. “Tsuki, what could have possibly prompted you to lick a rock? It’s a rock! Did one of the other boys dare you to, or something?”

“Kouga’s going to kill us,” Hakaku remarked.

“You mean, _you_.  It was your turn to watch him.”

“Maybe we could just take the rock with us?” Hakaku suggested.

“Are you nuts? That thing’s as big as we are! We’d never be able to lift it!”

“Annu!”

“Don’t cry, Tsuki! We’ll get you unstuck, promise!” Ginta said.

“Um, Ginta, Grandpa Robai’s back. Kouga’s with him.”

“Well, maybe we’ll get lucky and Kouga won’t notice until we get him unstuck.”

“ANNU!”  Tsuki screamed.

“What the hell did you two do to Tsuki?” Kouga demanded.

“Gah, Kouga! How did you get here so quickly?” Hakaku asked.

“I can recognize when he cries, you know,” Kouga said. “What the? Hey, Grandpa! Tsuki’s tongue is stuck to a rock! Can you warm some river water or something?”

The old man laughed. “Sure. We do this sort of thing all the time in the winter. There you go, little one.”

“Ick!” Tsuki said.”Aniu~!”

He clung to his leg.

“Geez, don’t cry. You’re fine, right? And it’s ‘Aniue,’ say it properly.”

“Aniu~!”

Kouga looked at them both. “Hey.”

“Yes?”  they asked.

“Thanks for staying with him.”

“Um, you’re welcome.”

With that, Kouga put Tsuki on his shoulders and headed back into the den.

“He didn’t beat us up,” Hakaku remarked.

“Was that what they call a winter miracle?” Ginta asked.


	7. Calling it Quits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakaku contemplates quilting the babysitting gig.

“Hey Ginta,” Hakaku began.

“What?”

“I was thinking, just how long are we supposed to keep this babysitting thing up for? How long has it been since we started? A year?”

“Almost two, actually. I guess we’re doing this until Kouga says we don’t need to anymore,” Ginta said.

“Well then, that means we’ll be doing this until were old a gray, doesn’t it?  I really hate him sometimes!” Hakaku exclaimed.

“If you hate this job so much, why not tell him you don’t want to look after Tsuki anymore?” Ginta asked. “He’s getting big enough now that we don’t have to watch him nearly as much as we used to. I think I can take over your half if you want to stop.”

“Wait, you still want to look after that little brat?”

“Yeah. I like him. He’s a good boy. Besides, somebody’s still got to look after him while Kouga’s off doing his training with Grandpa.”

“You’re just a big softie, Ginta.”

“Yeah? Well you’re being selfish, Hakaku. Tsuki’s always liked you, and now you're talking like you’d just abandon him.”

“I don’t hate him. I just don’t like that Kouga keeps dumping him on us.”

“He can’t ask anyone else to look after Tsuki. It’s too dangerous, remember?”

“Remember what?” Hakaku asked.

 Ginta’s mouth hung open. “Did you honestly forget?”

“Forget what?”

Ginta glanced around. The area was clear of anyone who could overhear him.

“Tsuki’s really a _girl_ , you dolt!” he whispered.

“Oh right. I guess I got so used to the ruse that I forgot the truth.”

“Jeez, that’s pathetic, Hakaku. Do you understand, though? Kouga doesn’t want her to die just for being a girl, and I don’t either. I like her too much,” he hugged his knees. “That’s why, even though he gets really demanding sometimes, I want to help him look after her.”

“Great… now I feel like a jerk.”

“Hakaku!”

“Isn’t that Tsuki?” Ginta asked.

“Wasn’t sh-he… supposed to be playing with the other kids today?” Hakaku began.

“BIG LIZARD’S GONNA EAT ME!”

“Well?” Ginta asked. “Are you going to go save him or are you going to let the lizard eat him?”

 Hakaku paced around for a moment. “Aurgh! Stupid kid!”

A few minutes later, Hakaku came back. He was covered in thorns, but the child was unharmed.

“You are _so_ lucky that I like you, you know that, Tsuki?” Hakaku muttered.

The little child grinned.

 


	8. Weaning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young! Ginta wants to keep the baby a baby for as long as he can.

“Ginta, why are you letting him suck on your thumb like that?” Hakaku asked.  
  
“It helps him sleep. He ran around a lot, so I figured he could use a nap,” Ginta said.  
  
“He’s a warrior! Warriors don’t do such babyish things!”  
  
“Hakaku, he _is_ a baby.”  
  
Hakaku sighed. “You know he’ll look to you for comfort if you keep that up.”  
  
“Is that such a bad thing? I think it’s kind of nice.” The baby curled closer to him. “I think he thinks so, too.”  
  
“The elders say it’s a bad thing. They say warriors need to be strong at all times.”  
  
“Because why?” Ginta asked.  
  
“I don’t know! Because we’re warriors! That’s why!”  
  
“Even though we’re kids?” Ginta asked.  
  
“Even though we’re kids!” Hakaku answered.  
  
“Even when people we love die?”  
  
 “Well, I guess its okay to cry a little bit then, but only a little!” Hakaku paused. “Why? Did something happen?”  
  
Ginta hugged the baby closer. “You remember Kinko and his group, right?”  
  
“Yeah! Those guys were really fun!”  
  
“They went out and explored too far past the territory's safe spot. A bird got them. It tore their insides right out.”  
  
“Ginta…”  
  
“I’m trying to swallow the pain down like I’m supposed to, but… those guys were my friends! I was supposed to go with them, but Tsuki kept crying and tugging at my fur when I tried to leave. I said I’d catch up with them later. When I did, they were all dead!”  
  
“The little brat… saved you?” Hakaku murmured.  
  
“I don’t know. I want to believe that he understands my kindness towards him.”  
  
“I think he does understand. He never cuddles like that around me.” Hakaku muttered. “…Ginta, you can cry if you want to. I won’t tell anyone.”  
  
“It’s really okay?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  



	9. Witches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young! Hakaku takes a prank too far.

“Hey Hakaku?” Ginta asked.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“How come the elders say that the lady wolves are cursed?”  
  
“Well I heard it was because they have magic powers!”  
  
“Eh, really?”  
  
“Yes, really! They can steal your heart just by looking at you funny or make you really stupid with just a laugh!”  
  
Ginta looked at the baby he was holding.  
  
“You wouldn’t curse us, would you?”  
  
The baby blinked at him.  
  
“He won’t because we’re raising him to be like us!” Hakaku said. “Warriors don’t need to rely on stupid old magic!”  
  
“Still, I wonder what it’s like to have magic powers?” Ginta mused.  
  
“Probably creepy. It’s rumored that’s what made Kouga’s Mama disappear.”  
  
“Magic did that?”  
  
“Apparently.”  
  
“She was nice when we knew her; she didn’t seem like a witch to me.”  
  
“Then how would you explain it?”  
  
“Well, she went to the graveyard often, right? Maybe she angered the dead?”  
  
“Only witches would do something like that!”  
  
“I don’t know. The dead have been known to lay curses on the disrespectful. Remember Old Man Yamato and his crazy arm?”  
  
“His arm was kind of crazy. Do you think it was possessed by a spirit?”  
  
“Maybe.”  
  
Hakaku eyed the baby.  
  
“He shares her blood. What if he turns on us?”  
  
“He wouldn’t do that. He’s a good boy.”  
  
“We don’t know that!”  
  
“Yes we do. We’re around him all the time. Are you getting nervous?”  
  
“Who says?” Hakaku demanded.  
  
“You’re acting strange.”  
  
“OH NO! I’VE BEEN CURSED!”  
  
“What’s all the racket?” Kouga demanded.  
  
“Hakaku thinks he’s been cursed.”  
  
“By what?” Kouga asked.  
  
“Your Mother’s blood!”  
  
Kouga tackled Hakaku and punched him.  
  
“My Mama was _not_ a witch!” he snapped.  He glared at Ginta. “Give me him.”  
  
Reluctantly, Ginta handed over the baby.  
  
“Nice going, Hakaku.”  
  
“I didn’t mean it…”


	10. Huff and Puff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young! Ginta wonders if Hakaku is right about letting the baby learn how to fight.

For all his huffing and puffing about having to look after their little charge, Hakaku had proven himself to be very protective of him.  
  
He was the first one to kick lizards away from the baby.  
  
He was the first one to step in when the teasing got too rough.  
  
He would never admit it, though.  
  
He was funny like that.  
  
Hakaku would always tease him for keeping the baby so close. Yet, he insisted he take the baby with him today.  
  
When they came back, both of them were covered in dirt.  
  
“What were you doing?” Ginta demanded.  
  
“Teaching him how to fight.”  
  
“Isn’t he a little young for that?”  
  
“It could save his life.”  
  
Ginta looked at him.  
  
“Are girls allowed to fight?” he whispered in his ear.  
  
“Oh right. Hmm…”  
  
He sat down to think.  
  
“Do you think it’s a good idea to teach he-him. I mean, we could be the heroes,” Ginta suggested.  
  
“That’d look bad when he got older, though. We can’t protect him forever, Ginta.”  
  
 “But is it the right thing to do?”  
  
“It’s our culture. If we baby him too much, he’ll never learn to stand up for himself.”  
  
“I know that, but!”  
  
“If you hesitate too much, this whole thing will blow up and you’ll get him killed. Do you want that?”  
  
Ginta hugged the baby closer. “No! Never!”  
  
“Then let me teach him to fight.”  
  
“It just… feels wrong.”  
  
“You learned it and I learned it. What makes him so special?”  
  
Ginta puffed out his cheeks.  
  
“I hate it when you’re right, Hakaku. Just start _slowly_.”  
  
When Hakaku came back each day, he was covered in dust and bite marks.  
  
“He’s a natural!” Hakaku said.  
  
“I hope you haven’t created a monster, Hakaku.”  
  
The baby grinned.


	11. Learning to Kill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginta and Hakaku don't want to be the teacher in this case.

As Tsuki grew, teaching became more and more of a challenge for them.  
  
Kouga was wandering off with the adults more and more, leaving them to look after his little charge, to teacher the lessons that would be expected of a young warrior of a male-only tribe.  
  
They knew their ways, but was it right to teach them to a girl?  
  
Could she be violent?  
  
The answer to that was yes.  
  
Was it right to create a violent-natured girl?  
  
Well, she was very good at hunting small prey for her age. She took joy in catching her target.  
  
They always praised her.  
  
If she were found out, all of them would be made an example of.  
  
Yet, even after all this time, they didn’t suspect a thing.  
  
The only strange thing they noticed was that instead of killing the target, she would release it.  
  
That wasn’t good.  
  
If anyone saw that, then…  
  
In order to keep everything normal, one of them was going to have to teach her how to kill.  
  
They dreaded that lesson over all others.  
  
Once they taught her that, there would be no going back.  
  
And emotionally she was not ready for it at all.  
  
They weren’t ready for it.  
  
In order to successful learn to kill, a teacher had to be firm and never allow the child to show weakness during the act.  
  
They tried being firm before; it failed miserably. First she cried and then they cried over making her cry and the whole thing ended in a group hug.  
  
At first it was decided they would play a game to decide who would be her teacher in this lesson.  
  
Yet, they kept challenging one another to a rematch.  
  
Over and over again.  
  
Neither of them wanted to be the teacher.


	12. Social Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginta and Hakaku worry when two new little boys enter the pack.

Their world was fine the way it was.

It was just the four of them, three “brothers” and a baby.

But one day, Kouga came back with two young pups.

Boy pups.

“Who are these two?” Ginta asked.

“That skinny one says his name is Kamaru, and I don’t know about the bigger kid, he hasn’t said a word the whole way here,” Kouga said. “They’re from a sub-clan that just got wiped out by birds.”

Hakaku eyed the sullen, silent boys. He kept a tight grip on the baby, even as she squirmed in his grip.

Then, she kicked him in the chest.

Upon being let down, she scurried over to the other two pups. Her nose sniffed inquisitively.

“He’s getting awfully close…”

She tugged on the skinny boy’s arm.

“Play?” she asked.

Wait, was she… trying to make friends with them?

The skinny boy looked at the larger one.

Was the big one going to eat her? He’d better not be thinking about eating her!

No, they followed her.

They looked to be a t least a year or two older than her.

“Hey Ginta, do you think this will cause problems, because I think this will cause problems.”

“If it does, we’ll deal with them. He needs friends.”

“But friends could be dangerous!”

“Since when did you become a worrywart, Hakaku?”

“Shut up! You agree with me, don’t you, Kouga?”

“He needs comrades around his own age. If he doesn’t have any, people will ask more questions.”

“But they’re boys!”

“So is he, _remember_?”

Oh right.

“Think of it this way, Hakaku. We don’t have to be the only ones to tire him out. We can just watch.”

“Oh, you mean we can be like Kouga for once?” Hakaku laughed.

“I heard that!” Kouga barked.


	13. Running in Circles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginta watches the children play.

Hakaku’s legs were sore.

He’d been racing around trying to keep up with the three kids as they played.

He was older than them, but he wasn’t _that_ old!

He sat with Ginta under a tree. His legs were sore all the same.

It was good to watch the young ones run around.

Their girl could keep up with the boys.

She might not be as strong as them when she grew older, but she could be quick.

Kouga was quick, too. Maybe it was genetic.

He and Ginta weren’t _that_ slow.

After they had tired everyone out with a game of tag he went to collect her.

When she saw him coming she ran up and hugged him.

“Who is that?” one of the boys asked.

“One of my other brothers,” she said.

He felt a swell of pride at that.


	14. Up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain someone wants a piggyback ride.

“Hakaku! Carry me!”

“No Tsuki. You’re too old to be carried around.”

“But my feet hurt! We’ve been walking forever and we haven’t even found anything to report!”

“I know. My feet hurt too. Welcome to adulthood.”

“Adulthood stinks!”

Hakaku laughed. “It does, doesn’t it? I guess I could carry you for a little ways if you wanted.”

 “No. I can manage.”

 Hakaku raised an eyebrow. “Can you?”

The child nodded. “Uh-huh! My friends can do it, so I can too! I’m going to be a great warrior, you know!”

“That’s good! Boys need to learn to toughen up or they won’t survive.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I know that.”

Hakaku paused. Had it really been five years since they started looking after her?  Pretty soon she really would be too big for that kind of stuff.

Well, one more piggyback ride wouldn’t kill anyone.


	15. I'm Not Crying!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children can be cruel to one another.

Ginta came back from watch duty. He entered the den to the soft sound of whimpering.

“Tsuki? Is that you?”

She turned her back to him. “No!”

“But you’re crying…” he said.

“I’m not crying! Warriors don’t cry! Even if they get ganged up on, they don’t cry!”

She was sobbing and trying to hide it, badly.

“Turn around for me,” Ginta said.

She did. He noticed the multiple bruises that speckled her body.

“Taro again?”

She nodded.

“Did he have any friends with him or was it just him this time?”

“He… he had four others with him, but he was the one who hit me first, but I didn’t cry while they did it, not once! I wanted to hit him back so badly! I’m sure could have taken him, but then he would have called for his Papa and I didn’t want to make Leader angry….”

Of course, being the Leader’s kid granted him protection from being bullied back.

“You did the right thing, you know. Sometimes it’s better to show your belly rather than your teeth. Let’s get you cleaned up. There should be an extra fur you can use to hide the marks.”

*

It took awhile, but she finally calmed down enough to sleep. With the fur blanket over her, the marks weren’t visible at all.

“Hey Ginta,” Kouga said as he entered the cave.

“Hey, Kouga- _what_ happened to your face?”

Kouga snorted. “Leader slugged me for smacking his brat upside the head.”

“Why did you _do_ that?”

“Why do you think? I don’t care who he is, nobody gangs up on my little brother like that and gets away with it!”

“Wasn’t it you who yelled at Hakaku for protecting him too much?”

“This was different!”

Uh-huh. Sure.


	16. Bow Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're okay with bowing down.

Ginta and Hakaku were used to their lot in life. They were born low and would stay low. They did not expect it to change anytime soon. Whenever the Leader passed, they were supposed to kneel out of respect because that was the way of things.

Because of him, they had a place to stay. They were no longer wandering in search of food and shelter. Because of him, they would continue to survive. They did not want to ruin that.

So they would bow and be grateful. They would put up with the insults and his batty son.

Because they were alive.


	17. Wounded Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakaku got in a fight.

  
Power struggles were common amongst their people. It started early. It was not uncommon for pups to fight with one another over disagreements. Hakaku was used it by now.  
  
“Hakaku! Oh no, you’re wounded!” Ginta said.  
  
“I’ll be fine, it’s just a scratch,” Hakaku countered.  
  
“That’s not just a scratch,” Ginta retorted. “Hold still and let me help you.”  
  
 Hakaku pulled away. “I don’t need it! I can take care of myself.”  
  
“Stop licking it already!” Ginta snapped.  
  
“He called you and me strays.” Hakaku muttered.  
  
“So? Both of us are orphans.”  
  
“I know! But… we still… we belong here, don’t we?”  
  
“He didn’t mean it Hakaku, not like that.”  
  
“Sure he did, he’s still got his parents. Who do we got?”  
  
“Each other.”


	18. Delusion of Grandeur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga starts talking nonsense.

It was official. Kouga had gone insane. He was rambling on and on about how he could become the leader, about what he would do differently if he had the chance. Both Ginta and Hakaku glanced at one another. Delusion of grandeur no doubt. Poor Kouga.  
They hoped none of the adults overheard them. They could get in big, big trouble. The Leader did not take kindly to that kind of talk amongst the adults they doubted he’d be any gentler with children.  
  
“Why are you so concerned about being the leader anyway?” Hakaku asked. “We’ve got everything under control, don’t we?”  
  
“I think he knows we’re hiding something,” Kouga said.


	19. Ghost Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys tell stories of the dead.

It was said that the dead could appear before those they were close to. Hakaku didn’t think anything of the stories, but Ginta did, he was scared of them, of being haunted by his lost relatives. Whatever Kouga thought about the dead, he didn’t say out loud. The boys would often tell ghost stories to one another.  It was a fun game to play at night. They told of a great, three-headed beast who guarded the dead, whose howl was chilling to the bone.  Sometimes, he could even take a living soul with him.  
  
That was the most popular tale.


	20. Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are they really that weak?

  
Sometimes they wished they were born stronger. If they were stronger, they wouldn’t be face down in the dirt right now, begging for mercy from some of the older boys as they twisted their arms behind their back.  
  
“What are you two doing looking after such a little pup, anyway? Practicing being mothers?” The older boy teased. “Hmm, maybe we should rough him up, too. Can’t have the brat be too coddled, it’s not our way. ”  
  
“Shut up! He’s just a pup!” Hakaku screamed. For that, he got his arm twisted more.  
  
“Tsuki, run away!” Ginta cried.  
  
But the small child could not run nearly fast enough. He was grabbed by the scruff of the neck. Still, he tried to bite at his captors.  
  
“I don’t see why you’re keeping this one. He’s so tiny. Come on, runt, let’s put you out of your misery.”  
  
“No, don’t!” They cried.  
  
“Put my brother down!” a voice called.  
  
It was Kouga. He must have heard them screaming.  
  
The older boy grinned. “I should have figured this brat had your blood in him. He’s got your mother’s creepy eyes.”  
  
That did it. Kouga went after the older boy as if he meant to kill him. The other two older boys that held Ginta and Hakaku down suddenly lost interest in the teasing when it turned violent.  
  
“I’ll get Tsuki, you try to calm him down, Hakaku,” Ginta said.  
  
“Why me?” Hakaku muttered. “Hey, Kouga?”  
  
“What?” Kouga snapped.  
  
“Nothing,” Hakaku muttered. What was taking Ginta so long?  
  
“Got him!” Ginta said. “He’s not hurt.”  
  
“Aniu!” cried the child as he jumped from Ginta’s arms into Kouga’s.  
  
“If you two don’t mind, I’d like to spend some time alone with him,” Kouga said.  
  
“Are we… really that weak?” they wondered aloud.


	21. To be a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakaku takes matters into his own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt is set a little before the canon timeline.

When Hakaku entered the den after the afternoon’s hunting practice, he found Tsuki in the corner of the cave, licking his arm. When Hakaku came closer, Tsuki stopped and tried to dash away from him. Hakaku picked him up and looked him over.  He was covered in scratch marks. “Were you fighting again?” Slowly, the child nodded. Hakaku sighed. “Honestly, Tsukimaru, what am I going to do with you?”  
  
The little child evaded his gaze, but when their eyes met, there was still fight in them. “So what if I was?” he scoffed. “They started it.”  
  
“Who was it against?” Hakaku asked. “Were there more than one of them?”  
  
“Taro and his gang. His whole gang, Hakaku! It was four against one!”  
  
Hakaku sighed. “You’re too tiny for those kinds of scraps. I’m surprised you came out as well as you did. Hold still while I get the herbs. And’ don’t lick it! Who knows where your mouth has been.”  
  
Tsuki let out a small growl and jumped to his feet. “I am not too tiny! I bet I could take anyone on!  Taro just had numbers! That’s all!” He looked away. “I hate that medicine stuff, it stinks and it makes my skin all stingy.”  
  
Hakaku hide a smile. Despite the loss, he had plenty of spunk that was for sure. “You sound just like Kouga when you talk like that.”  
  
“Hakaku, how do I become stronger?” Tsuki asked.  “I don’t want to be called a runt anymore! I want to show them that I’m not weak! It’s not my fault I was born smaller, right? I’ll grow muscles eventually like all the other boys, right?”  
  
Hakaku thought for a moment. “Um, let’s see. You’re not strong, strong, you might never be, but you can be fast if you work on it.”  
“Fast?” Tsuki asked. “I never thought of that.”  
  
“Yeah. You’ve got a better build for speed. You know, sometimes it’s better to outrun your enemies then to overpower them.”  
  
“Won’t I be called a coward if I run away, though?” he asked.  
  
“You won’t be running away, exactly, you’ll be wearing them down and then you can strike.”  
  
“Hmm, oh, I see! I see! Yeah that could work!” He grabbed Hakaku’s hand and tugged lightly. “Teach me! Teach me!”  
  
“I don’t know if Kouga would approve of it.”  
  
“Please?” he said. “If you don’t help me, the next time I get pounced on, I’ll tell Aniu _you_ wouldn’t teach me when I asked you.”  
  
Which was worse? Hakaku thought. The child’s wrath could be managed, but the brother’s…  
  
“Fine,” Hakaku sighed. “I’ll help train you, but we have to keep it a secret, okay? And I’m making you get up early for it.”  
  
“Yay! Training!” Tsuki exclaimed as he ran out of the den. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”  
  
“Right now?”  
  
“Of course right now!”  
  
“Don’t run ahead of me!” Hakaku called. “Do you want to get killed?”  
  
“Don’t go slowly, then! I want to go fast!”  
  
Hakaku took him to a small forest by their territory, not too far away from the borders of their land, but far enough that none of the other pups should find them there.  
  
“Let’s see, here, run for me. Start from here to that tree.”  
  
“Okay!”  
  
Hakaku smiled to himself as he watched. This idea actually had some potential to work. The kid could run. For once, he could be his teacher and get all the credit. He didn’t have to share with Kouga and Ginta.  
  
“I did it! I did it! Did you see me?”  
  
“I did. Good job!”  
  
The child beamed.  The two of them walked back together. Kouga eyed Hakaku.  
  
“We were wondering where you two went.”  
  
“Oh, I was just… uh… teaching him a few things.”  
  
“In the woods,” Kouga said.  
  
“In the woods.”  
  
“Come on, Tsuki, the sun is going down. It’s time for you to sleep.” Ginta said hurrying the child into the den.  
  
“Aww, okay. Goodnight Hakaku, thanks.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” Hakaku laughed. Kouga did not look amused.  
  
“Hakaku, what the hell are you doing, taking him into the woods like that?” Kouga demanded quietly.  
  
“He got bullied again.” Hakaku said.  
  
Kouga sighed. “And your little sessions will help him, how? You’re spoiling him again.”  
  
“He’s got to learn to use what he has. Expecting him to overpower his opponents is a little much, don’t you think? He just doesn’t have the frame for it.”  
  
“That’s how we fight, with strength.” Kouga said, crossing his arms. “If you deviate from that he’ll be picked on more.”  
  
“Says the guy who mostly runs around, if he can’t use his body, he needs to be able to think. I’m trying to turn a weakness into a strength, don’t you see? I want him to survive in our world. I really do. Don’t go getting all high and mighty on me about how we should look after him. You were selfish in the beginning of this whole saving him thing, let me be selfish now!”  
  
“You’re really serious?”  
  
“I am. I want to see… her succeed. If I can do that, then…”  
  
Kouga sighed. “Fine. But if this doesn’t work, you’re responsible, got it? And don’t say that word lightly. You never know who could overhear it.”  
  
“I understand.” He could not fail. He would not fail. He would help that child to be strong, even if it killed him.  
  
The next morning, he was renewed. “Come on, get up. We’re going training again.”  
  
Tsuki’s eyes snapped open. He was awake and alert. “It’s morning already? Yay! Let’s go!”  
  
Hakaku laughed. “Alright, alright, save some of that energy for when we go into the forest, will you? I don’t want you to tire out to quickly.”  
  
“I can’t help it! I’m excited! I’ll train and train until I’m awesome! Besides, I rarely get to spend any time with you alone. This will be fun! Oh, I guess, I shouldn’t word it like that.”  
  
“It’s fine. I feel the same way. Don’t worry, kid! I’ve always got your back!”


	22. Generations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginta and Hakaku reflect on the fact that Tsuki's life will probably change soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set when everyone is five to eight years older.

Their girl had always been a runt.

She stayed small for a very long time. People used to spread rumors that the god had made her eternally young.

It was only a few years ago that she really grew into her adult body.

The transformation was a strange to them.

She looked like a smaller version of her mother and commanded the same respect.  

A great amount of responsibility had been put on her as the tribe’s warlord, but, she was still young, still learning.

When she would come to them on the verge of tears, fearing that she’d screwed up the training, it was like she was a child again, their child again.

But she wasn’t. She wouldn’t be for much longer.

“She’s at that age where she’d probably start thinking about marriage.” Hakaku mused.

“Isn’t she a little young for that?” Ginta asked.

“Kouga and Ayame got married around her age, right?” Hakaku countered. “Besides, she has a boyfriend now. It can’t be that far off.”

Were Kouga and Ayame an exception? Given everything they’d gone through back then, it wasn’t surprising that they wanted to create stability for themselves.

Then again, their teenagers had been children during everything. Maybe they craved it too.

 Hakaku snorted. “Bah. We didn’t have such things as boyfriends and girlfriends. If you were higher ranked, you were engaged and if you were lower ranked, you just took the first person who showed interest in you so you’d have someone to carry on your memory and your bloodline.”

“Still, having the freedom to choose must be nice. How do you feel about Kai, Hakaku?”

“He’s kind of soft, but I don’t hate him for it because he’s softened her up. How about you, Ginta?”

“I just want our girl to be happy.”


End file.
